The Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced three arms deals with the US worth a combined NT$13.35 billion (US$453.6 million) for 250 Block FIM-92 Stinger MANPAD missiles, torpedo service life extension packs and Standard Missile-2 spare modules.
The ministry’s publication of the deals shows that the contracts have entered the implementation stage, a defense official said yesterday on condition of anonymity.
The procurements involve arms that are to be used by the navy and the marine corps, the official said.
The shoulder-fired, single-
operator Stinger missiles are the most significant component of the purchase, the official said.
The weapon is to enhance the navy and marine corps’ air-defense capabilities, the official said, adding that delivery is scheduled to begin this year.
In addition to marine infantry battalions, units slated to receive the Stinger missiles include the navy’s Guang Hua VI-class fast attack boats and Tuo Jiang-class corvettes that lack adequate anti-aircraft weaponry, he said.
The Stinger missiles are to provide much-needed anti-aircraft firepower to the navy’s smaller combat craft and augment the survivability of ships and marines, while increasing the attrition rate of enemy air units, he said.
The deals were signed with the American Institute in Taiwan after being made possible in December 2015 by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s clearing of the weapon types for export to Taiwan.
The Stinger missiles, torpedo service-life extension packages and Standard Missile-2 modules are to cost an estimated NT$5.16 billion, NT$4.92 billion and NT$3.28 billion respectively, according to the ministry’s public contract notices.
The stated contractual time frame for the Stinger missile deal covers last year to 2020.
CREDIT-GRABBER: China said its coast guard rescued the crew of a fishing vessel that caught fire, who were actually rescued by a nearby Taiwanese boat and the CGA Maritime search and rescue operations do not have borders, and China should not use a shipwreck to infringe upon Taiwanese sovereignty, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The coast guard made the statement in response to the China Coast Guard (CCG) saying it saved a Taiwanese fishing boat. The Chuan Yu No. 6 (全漁6號), a fishing vessel registered in Keelung, on Thursday caught fire and sank in waters northeast of Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台). The vessel left Keelung’s Badouzih Fishing Harbor (八斗子漁港) at 3:35pm on Sunday last week, with seven people on board — a 62-year-old Taiwanese captain surnamed Chang (張) and six
RISKY BUSINESS: The ‘incentives’ include initiatives that get suspended for no reason, creating uncertainty and resulting in considerable losses for Taiwanese, the MAC said China’s “incentives” failed to sway sentiment in Taiwan, as willingness to work in China hit a record low of 1.6 percent, a Ministry of Labor survey showed. The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) also reported that the number of Taiwanese workers in China has nearly halved from a peak of 430,000 in 2012 to an estimated 231,000 in 2024. That marked a new low in the proportion of Taiwanese going abroad to work. The ministry’s annual survey on “Labor Life and Employment Status” includes questions respondents’ willingness to seek employment overseas. Willingness to work in China has steadily declined from
The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee yesterday approved proposed amendments to the Amusement Tax Act (娛樂稅法) that would abolish taxes on films, cultural activities and competitive sporting events, retaining the fee only for dance halls and golf courses. The proposed changes would set the maximum tax rate for dance halls and golf courses at 50 and 20 percent respectively, with local governments authorized to suspend the levies. Article 2 of the act says that “amusement tax shall be levied on tickets sold or fees charged by amusement places, facilities or activities” in six categories: “Cinema; professional singing, story-telling, dancing, circus, magic show, acrobatics
INFLATION UP? The IMF said CPI would increase to 1.5 percent this year, while the DGBAS projected it would rise to 1.68 percent, with GDP per capita of US$44,181 The IMF projected Taiwan’s real GDP would grow 5.2 percent this year, up from its 2.1 percent outlook in January, despite fears of global economic disruptions sparked by the US-Iran conflict. Taiwan’s consumer price index (CPI) is projected to increase to 1.5 percent, while unemployment would be 3.4 percent, roughly in line with estimates for Asia as a whole, the international body wrote in its Global Economic Outlook Report published in the US on Monday. The figures are comparatively better than the IMF outlook for the rest of the world, which pegged real GDP growth at 3.1 percent, down from 3.3 percent
RSS